The 27-year-old doesn’t put a label on his sexuality in the Instagram post, but he makes the low-key reveal as he discusses his upcoming film Reach, saying the script struck close to home for both him and his partner, a Los Angeles-based writer named Blake Knight.

“I have personally dealt with suicide within my own family, intense bullying in high school, and — on top of it all — myself and the man I’ve been in a relationship with for a long time (@hrhblakeknight) have both experienced shootings within our hometown school systems, and have witnessed the heartache that takes place in affected communities after such tragic events,” he tells followers. “These topics — not always easy to discuss — are all close to my heart, and, knowing how serious they are, I wanted to share this with you all. This film has come from the perspectives of people who care deeply about these issues, and if watching it helps even one person… then it was all worth it.”

In 2016, as he was promoting his role as a gay adult film star Brent Corrigan in the movie King Cobra, Clayton kept mum about his sexuality. “I moved out to L.A. to have a career where I got to play characters and focus on work and do all these awesome things, and I’m getting to do that now,” he told PrideSource at the time. “I just don’t think it’s pertinent to talk about my personal life. I don’t think it adds to the work; it just distracts from it.”

And in Monday’s Instagram post, he explained why he divulged personal details on social media instead of in the press, saying, “I also prefer to share things that are particularly important for me here on my IG instead of in some random magazine or online article — because you are the ones that have been rooting for me and following me on my professional and personal journey in life.”

Clayton’s other credits include The Fosters, Hairspray Live, and the Teen Beach movies.